Plan for BancorpSouth Arena roof hits snag

TUPELO – It’s taking longer than expected to install a new roof on the BancorpSouth Arena.
In August, the Tupelo Coliseum Commission awarded a bid to Accurate Roofing.
But the actual scale of the project wasn’t known until work began.
“It was deteriorated more than we thought,” said Todd Hunt, the arena’s executive director. “It’s one of those cases where you don’t know exactly what you’ve gotten into until you dive in.”
The original bid was $519,889, but the actual cost of the work could be “a few thousand or a few hundred thousand dollars more. It depends on how we go forward,” Hunt said.
There’s a contract in place to do the job, but it could be more economical to make the repairs in a different way.
The commission has been working with city attorneys to determine the best way to move forward in compliance with the state’s bid laws.
“We want to make sure we make a defensible, appropriate decision,” said Scott Reed, commission president.
The work affects the warehouse portion of the building, including meeting rooms, office space and dressing rooms.
“Our goal is to follow the guidelines and look after the financial interests of the commission and get a new roof,” Hunt said. “There is really not a timeline, but we’re hoping to resolve this as soon as possible.”
Contact M. Scott Morris at (662) 678-1589 or scott.morris@djournal.com.